Issuing The Challenge To Centrelink
At the age of 16 years, I first applied and was accepted for the unemployment benefit. I wasn't on the benefit for long, before I found a couple of jobs. While working at the age of 18 years, my wrist was injured mildly but enough to cause permanent damage. From that moment, I suffered daily to weekly pains and could hardly move my wrist or hand.
From the beginning of this time, is when the majority of my sicknesses and disabilities began. It first began with 2 slip discs, scoliosis and arthritis. At this present time, I currently have the following sicknesses and disabilities from the past and the present:
· Arthritis - ankles, knees, shoulders, back
· Back - Slipped discs, scoliosis, arthritis and crushed tail bone.
· Left Wrist - Arthritis and various pains from a previous break and fracture.
· Right Wrist - Arthritis, ganglion - growing tissue that can occur at any time. An operation can remove it, but it will not stop it from returning.
Knees/Legs - arthritis and gout
· Internal - high blood pressure, anything with has fats and oils that enters my mouth: the fats and oils stick to my liver and lungs, which restricts movements.
· Mental Illness - anxiety, social anxiety, bi-polar, split personality, psychotic depression and more.
· Weak and deteriorating - teeth and bones
· Head - losing hair due to stress, migraines, headaches etc.
· There are more illnesses and sicknesses which I am unable to post/publish due to privacy issues and other matters. Some of these include traumatic life experiences in which the Centrelink Psychologist referred me to the disability pension. My family moved suburbs and my pension was taken away. This was also the time when I had been mentally, physically and sexually abused. All of this occurred before my 21st birthday and I am almost 34 years of age.
In the past 14 years, Centrelink has not been able to find me suitable employment and has actually interfered with other businesses in the meantime. They have sent me to many different agencies, including the agency they numerously sent sick and disabled clients. CRS was a government Organization which supported and rehabilitated sick, injured or disabled persons, to help them gain employment. Each agency sent me back to my local, office, with a note on my file "we cannot help this person, we suggest the disability pension" and it was ignored every time. After this occurred, they tried to send me to employees who needed qualified workers. I was sent home within the first 15 minutes of arriving and was asked to pass on a message to my Centrelink case worker "please stop wasting our time with unqualified persons and please do not send us another worker who's injured within minutes of walking through the door". It seems that I was the 3rd or 4th person who had been sent to that employer, I was the only person who had the closest qualifications but couldn't stand up long enough to work. My physical disabilities were already aggrevated before I arrived When I awake, I need at least 3 or 4 hours for the usual routine:
· Sit up in bed, then put my legs on the side to stand up
· When I am finally able to get out of bed and stand up, I have to move from my bed to the toilet. After doing my business and taking another 5 to 10 minutes to get off the toilet, I wash my face and make my way to the kitchen to make a coffee. Making a coffee can take up to 30 minutes to do - because I can't stand for very long (normally), it becomes even harder and longer after waking.
· Get my coffee and take it outside for my first cigarette of the day.
(This has been my daily routine since I was a teenager, I cannot stop the pains, I cannot stop how long the pains last for and I cannot control when my disabilities appear or disappear).
I have not had paid employment since my early 20's. My disabilities, injuries and sicknesses have not gotten any better, my health is deteriorating fast. When I first began having these problems, I was sent to the last business for a reason. I had told Centrelink "you think you know better than all of the specialists and qualified professionals. Find me a job where I can last longer than what the specialists have said and one that won't affect my disabilities". This was their way of proving that I could work and did not have any sicknesses, injuries or disabilities. But what happened? Even though it was proof that I could not do it, they still haven't put me on the disability pension. I have received a letter from them, they have arranged an appointment to help me look for work.
At the end of the year, I applied for the disability pension and was denied because of the interviewer. He said "you're able to hold your handbag, so there's nothing wrong with you". If you're not sure of what a handbag is, it is a small bag that is big enough to be held in your hand. It's bigger than a clutch. I contacted Centrelink and asked to see the interviewer's medical qualifications "how is he qualified enough to make a decision about my physical health, without doing tests?" I was told that my application would be put under review and I will hear back from them. The only contact that I have received since then, was about employment.
Ever since I was a very young child, my parents have had to deal with my many sicknesses and injuries. Most of my life, I have been sick and/or in daily pains. If they haven't gotten better since then, why would Centrelink expect it to change now? I was the type of person who was lucky to have one headache a year, I now suffer them weekly and get sharp stabbing pains behind my eyeballs.
As I sit here typing this, I am sitting in my disabled father's medical seat to elevate my legs. For no reason, my legs began swelling and I have not been able to walk properly. In fact, one of my ankles had lost feeling and I did not know, I rushed for the toilet and was injured further. Both legs and ankles are swollen, my right ankle is now a 'kankle'. When the ankle and foot becomes one, due to the bad swelling. The same foot and ankle was red and is now becoming a blackish colour, there's weird marks on there - it looks similar to a spider web. I can't wear or fit any of my shoes, sandals or slippers and I haven't eaten much. There are many more injuries in which I am currently suffering, I didn't ask to have this type of life. I didn't ask to have daily physical pains. I have over 25 years of medical proof, all tests and reports are sent to the Health Department. They have over 18 years of documented health issues. Centrelink does not check these things, that's why they have clients on the disability pension who have no diagnosed or documented illnesses, sickness or injuries. They do not deserve it, when people who actually are disabled - have to suffer even more.
I have seen, spoken and visited with many doctors, counsellors, psychologists and qualified health professionals. Some of them said "we won't help you until you are medicated". So, I went to the doctor and was told "I can't medicate you until you have had counselling". I have had all types of counselling, I have been kicked out of these places, asked to leave, asked to never return and didn't even hear back from some of the others. I visited the local hospital and began months of physical rehabilitation, I was taught to exercise my injuries so the muscles and bones would strengthen. The rehabilitation also helped with exercises for my back, how to relieve some of the pains and how to stop some of the pains from becoming worse. All-in-all, I was told "these problems wouldn't be as bad, if you lose weight". I have lost just over 60kgs and am in the worst pains of my life. The smaller I become, the more pains I feel.
I have tried to get help, have taken any support that has been offered and am still ignored by government agencies. Centrelink staff are not like other agencies: if they don't have to care, then they won't. If anything, they are very similar to drug dealers: They've heard so many excuses, it all sounds the same to them and they definitely don't want to be seen with their clients. They'll play God with your life and your money.
To work here you can't have any feelings, emotions or a caring nature, because of the people you'd have to deal with daily. Not all of their staff are like this though, occasionally we meet staff who feel the need to help. It is rare, but there are some staff members who go beyond their duties and give more support than needed.
"I issue this challenge to Centrelink, it seems they know better again. Most of my sicknesses and disabilities were diagnosed when I was a very young child, they still exist no matter what".
If you can find an employer who is willing to take me on with all of my health problems and disabilities, I will accept it. But, it cannot be just any job, it has to be one that I am fully qualified for and with the following conditions -
An acceptable job, is one that does NOT:
· Bring out Theo - my psychotic split personality.
· Affect any of my physical or mental disabilities.
· Aggrevate any sicknesses, illnesses and/or disabilities.
The employer must be able to accept:
· Start/Finish Times: There can't be any fixed times, for many reasons.
· Insomnia/Sleep Disorder: I have had sleeping problems since I was about 7 years old. The older I become, the later I fall asleep. If I don't sleep or don't get enough sleep, that's when accidents happen. I can't choose a time or force myself to go to sleep, staring is not counted as sleep.
· Eating Disorder: I don't get to decide when my body is hungry, when I need to eat or what to eat. When the hunger comes and it's a craving, my body becomes physically weak until I have actually had it.
· Anxiety/Social Anxiety and Split Personality: Similar to other anxiety sufferers, my anxiety can occur at any time. If I have trouble breathing during an anxiety attack. It may actually be an asthma attack. My social anxiety is different to others, there are none that are ever the same. If I can stop an attack before it escalates, everything will be alright. But, if I can't stop, it will become worse.
All of this must coincide with all medical certificates and documentation signed by qualified health professionals only. The forms instruct that I can work 2 hours a week, but not all in 1 day. The job must have suitable furniture for my disabilities. I cannot stand longer than 7 minutes and I cannot be sitting all day. Due to the constant swelling in my legs, a bed is a necessity for elevation. Being that I don't have transport, I cannot use public transport and must be driven to and from work.
Again, I don't get to choose or control when my illnesses, sicknesses and disabilities will appear and for how long. If I could have worked in the past 10 years, I would have. Any staff member who can prove otherwise about my problems, then do so. I am sick of being in pain every day and then being told by non-qualified health workers that I have not been suffering for more than half of my life. Centrelink has no problem in forcing people into an early grave, so the challenge has now been issued.
Anxiety, Social Anxiety and Split Personality Symptoms:
Step 1: My breathing changes, sounding similar to an asthma attack.
Step 2: The top half of my body begins shaking. This is where I need to try and stop the breathing and shaking. If I cannot do so....
Step 3: My entire body begins to shake.
Step 4: Within a few minutes of my entire body going into a shaking fit, Theo appears and Celia disappears.
The last time Theodiedra took over, it was almost 2 years had passed before Celia came back. When this happens, I don't know what is going on. I'm not on the inside, looking out like a trapped person. I can't see physically and am not there mentally. Theo doesn't talk much, she's more action than talk - which can be dangerous. She doesn't like people looking at her, let alone giving the wrong looks. She loves sharp knives - even though I'm the opposite, I never carry or use weapons. Yet, somehow a knife always ends up in Theo's hand.... I can remember the first and only time that I was able to see what she was doing, which was during one of our transitions. Everything was dark, then some light appeared and everything was blurry. It felt like I was asleep, I was just waking up and trying to focus my eyes. As we were transitioning, Theo had a knife in her hand and was lunging towards some stranger's throat. If the transition didn't happen at that exact time, I don't know how far Theo would have gone. I was able to stop it or her, just in time and I haven't had her around since then. Things have become stressful lately and I fear that SHE may be back anytime soon.
